Strain clamp



. Maih i2, 1935.

s. 1.. MOORE, 3 1,994,003

STRAIN CLAMP Filed. Nov. 25, 1931 3mm lot Patented Mar. 12, 1935 UNITED STATES STRAIN CLAMP Stewart L. Moore, Baltimore, Md., assignor to Locke Insulator Corporation, Baltimore, Md.,

a corporation of Maryland Application November 25, 1931, Serial No. 577,348

4 Claims. (01. 24-135) The inventionrelates to means for supporting high tension conductors and the like and has for-its general object the-provision of a novel strain crde'ad-end clamp for securing a conductor and-its protective armor which, as is well known, consists of a series of rods spiralled about the conductor.

Numerous clamps have been designed and ope'rate successfully for securing stranded or other 10, conductors but on account of the rather abrupt bends produced it is not practical to utilize them in cases where the conductor is provided with the protective or armor rods. 7 I

It is with the above facts in viewthat I have 5 devised the present inventionwhich has for an important object the provision of a strain or deadend clamp having'separate seats and keepers for the conductor alone and the conductor with the armor thereon, respectively.

A further object of the invention is to provide a clamp of this character in which the bending strains necessarily brought upon the conductor itself are not imparted to the protective rods surrounding the same as such would be detrimental owing to the relative stiiiness of such rods.

Another object is to provide a clamp of this character in which the main body is pivotally sustained with respect to a support, means being also provided on the support for holding the slack portion of the conductor.

Yet another object is to provide a clampof this type in which shims may be located within the channeled or grooved portions, these shims being advantageousin some instances for preventing mutilation of the conductor and in other instances serving to compensate for differences in conductorsof varying diameters so that the same size clamp may be successfully used for di fierent sizes of conductors, thereby reducing the number necessary to be kept in stock to accomplish the desired installation.

Still another object is to provide a clamp in which the relatively movable and stationary members are secured together by simple bolt means which may be easily applied.

An additional object is to provide a clamp of this type which will be simple and inexpensive to make, easy to use, positive in action, efficient and durable in service, and a general improvement in the art.

To the attainment of the foregoing and other objects and advantages, the invention preferably consists in the details of construction and the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and

illustrated which: I

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a clamp constructed in accordance with my invention,

in the accompanying drawing in Figure 2 is across section taken on the line.22

of Figure 1, r I

Figure 3 is a crosssectiontaken on the hue 3-3 of Figure 1, and) Figure t is a similar view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1. 7

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral 10 designates some suitable convenient supporting member which may be pivotally mounted at one end as shown at 11 upon a tower or other stationary structure and which has its other end pivotally carrying, as'by means of a bolt 12 or the like, the body 13 of the clamp. This body is represented as of elongated form with its outer or free end 14 enlarged. The main or major portion of the body is formed with a chan-, nel 15 which is preferably serpentine in shape and which leads into a substantially semi-cylindrical socket '16 in the enlarged end portion 14. The pivoted end of the body is necessarily apertured for the passage of the bolt 12 orany equivalent connecting means. The ends of the channel, 15 and socket 16 are preferably flared as shown;

The conductor 17 with its protective armor rods 18 is intended to ,be'secured within the socket 16 while the conductor stripped of its armor is intended to be received within the channel 15. The slack part of the conductor projecting beyond the pivoted end of the body is intended to be caught 'within oppositely arranged hooks 19 on an arm 20 suitably secured to and depending from themember 10; I

For securing the stripped conductor in place with respect to the body of the clamp I provide an elongated keeper 21 coasting with and fitting between the sides of the body 13, this keeper having a serpentine seat 22. Securing is effected by any desired number of U-bolts 23 which have their bight portions engaging between pairs of spaced ribs 24 on the underside of the keeper and which have their arms passing through ears 25 on the body and equipped with nuts 26.

If his desired to protect the conductor from being mashed or mutilated by engagement between the hard metal seats or channels, rela- 5 tively soft metal shims 27 and 28 may be provided, the former being located within the body or the channel 15 therein and the latter lying within the channel or seat 22 in the keeper 21. These shims are also usable in cases where it is 55 desired to support a conductor of smaller size than that for which the clamp is originally designed.

The armored portion of the cable fits within the socket 16 and is secured in place by a keeper 29 which is separate and distinct from the keeper 21 but which is similarly held in place by U-bolts 30 having their bight portions engaged between pairs of spaced ribs 31 on the keeper and having their arms passing through apertured ears 32 on the enlarged end 1-: of the body. The keepers 21 and 29 have their opposite ends flared so that in cooperation with the respective ends of the body they will define beil mouths which are known to be advantageous in avoiding bringing of bending strain upon either the annexed or unprotected portion of the conductor such as might result from vibration or dancing of the conductor.

In the use of the device, it will be clear that it isinstalled in substantially the same manner as any other strain or dead-end clamp, the distinguishing feature of difference being that the conductor itself is held by one keeper while the armor is secured by a separate keeper. In this way it is not necessary to bring the armor rods all the way through the clamp as such is neither practical nor desirable partly on account of the relative stifiness of the rods which might preclude the abrupt bending necessary and partly for the reason that it is not desirable to impart such acute bends to the rods.

From the foregoing description and a study of the drawing it vill be observed that I have thus provided a very simply constructed and consequently inexpensive clamp which will efiiciently perform all the functions for which it is intended. It is believed that the construction, operation and advantages will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art without further explanation.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it should be understood that the disclosure is merely an exemplification of the principles involved as the right is reserved to make all such changes in the details of construction as will widen the field of utility and increase the adaptability of the device provided such changes constitute no departure from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. A clamp for supporting an armored conductor comprising a supported one-piece body member formed with a channel and a socket in direct continuous communication with each other, the channel being adapted to receive a conductor from which the armor has been stripped and the socket being of greater diameter than the channel and adapted to receive the armored portion of the conductor, a keeper cooperating with the channeled portion of the body and secured with respect thereto for holding the stripped portion of the conductor in place, and

a separate keeper cooperating with the socketed end of the body for securing the armored portion of the conductor therein.

2. A clamp for supporting an armored conductor comprising a supported one-piece body member formed with a channel and a socket in direct continuous communication with each other, the channel being adapted to receive a conductor from which the armor has been stripped and the socket being of greater diameter than the channel and adapted to receive the armored portion of the conductor, a keeper co- :operating with the channeled portion of the body and secured with respect thereto for holding the stripped portion of the conductor in place, and a separate keeper cooperating with the socketed end of the body for securing the armored portion of the conductor therein, the first named keeper having a channel corresponding to the first named channel and the second named keeper having a socket corresponding to the first named socket. I

3. A clamp for supporting an armored conductor comprising a supported one-piece body member formed with a channel and a socket in direct continuous communication with each other, the channel being adapted to receive a conductor from which the armor has been stripped and the socket being of greater diameter than the channel and adapted to receive the armored portion of the conductor, a keeper cooperating with the channeled portion of the body and secured with respect thereto for holding the stripped portion of the conductor, in place, and a separate keeper cooperating with the socketed end of the body for securing the armored portion of the conductor therein, the respective keepers fitting partly within the body and the conductor being entirely enclosed.

4. A clamp for supporting an armored conductor from which a portion of the armor has been stripped, comprising a one-piece elongated body formed with a channel and terminating in an enlarged portion formed with a socket of greater diameter than the channel and directly communicating with the channel, means for supporting the body, a keeper fitting partly within the channeled portion of the body and having a channel, the channel portions of the body and the keeper being adapted to receive the portion of a conductor from which the armor has been stripped, securing bolts embracing the keeper and connected with the body for efifecting the clamping action upon the stripped portion of the conductor, a separate keeper fitting partly within the socket portion of the body and formed with a socket mating with said first named socket to receive the conductor with the end of the armor remaining thereon, and separate bolt means engaging the second named keeper and connected with the body for eifecting a clamping action.

STEWART L. MOORE. 

